Driver's License Test Prep
Oregon Practice Licensing Process

You arrive at an Oregon DMV office for your drive test. Which item is REQUIRED to be in working order on your test vehicle?

  1. A.
    Working brake lights. Correct
  2. B.
    Working headlights.
  3. C.
    Tires with at least 4/32 inch of remaining tread depth.
  4. D.
    A current emissions sticker.
The Why

The answer is "Working brake lights."

Brake lights appear on Oregon's required working-equipment list for the drive test. The list also covers the vehicle starting under its own power, turn signals front and back, the horn, a passenger door that opens from inside and outside, a secure and clean passenger seat, seatbelts, undamaged tires, a muffler without excessive leaks, valid registration display, mirrors, and unobstructed views. Headlights, taillights, wipers, traction tires or chains, and a defroster are required only if weather conditions require. The tempting misread on C swaps the manual's rule that tires simply not be bald or damaged for a specific tread-depth threshold.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Working headlights.

Headlights are required only if weather conditions require them, not on every drive test. This answer treats a weather-conditional item from the 'if weather conditions require' list as if it were on the always-required equipment list.

C. Tires with at least 4/32 inch of remaining tread depth.

The manual's tire rule on the test-vehicle list states only that tires must not be bald or damaged; no specific tread-depth measurement is part of the equipment check. This answer substitutes a specific tread-depth threshold for the manual's actual tire rule, which requires only that tires not be bald or damaged.

D. A current emissions sticker.

The required-equipment list calls for displaying valid registration; emissions stickers are not on the test-vehicle list. This answer confuses a general vehicle-compliance item with the manual's specific test-vehicle list, which names only 'Display valid registration.'

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Licensing Process in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Testing: Drive Test, Test Vehicle," p.4..

More from this topic

Related Oregon questions

More than a book

You just took one Oregon question apart. The book does it for the whole test.

The Oregon book unlocks a free companion: an adaptive study plan, progress synced across your devices, a denser laminate cheat sheet, and a test-day walkthrough. Verify your copy once, usually in seconds; there's nothing extra to buy.

Get the book on Amazon

$18.99 paperback, free companion included.

Free study plan

Your free Oregon study plan

A short run of study emails for the Oregon DMV test: what to drill, the rules people trip on, and a final pre-test checklist. The printable cheat sheet is free to grab either way.

One email a few times a month. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. Privacy.